damon marcello

He'd always had a way of keeping himself calm even in the most chaotic situations. Maybe it was his experience in battle or maybe he'd just done too many awful things throughout his existence that nothing phased him anymore. Either way, it was often unnerving for others and he loved it. He could feel the fear and feed off of it just like any other predator. Even now, he could feel the intimidation rolling off of Arlo in waves but he didn't want to break the other vampire. Oh no, that wouldn't be as fun as watching him turn into the monster he was meant to become. All this talk of not killing anymore was terribly boring and he needed to change that, pronto. He could play along just like he did with Isolt. He knew her humanity kept her limited from a lot of experiences but he also knew trying to change a woman never turned out well for the guy so he went along with it and never pushed her. With Arlo, he might be able to push a little more, if only because he was a man and a stubborn ass at that.

He could tell that Arlo was used to a bite and run lifestyle. He wasn't much of a fighter but he was a survivor first and foremost. He grew desperate at times and that was when he was at his most vulnerable. He was impulsive and if he didn't learn to curb his appetite, he would get himself killed, the true death of their kind. He didn't know what other vampires Arlo might have met in Sacro already but it didn't look like any of them had had the sense to tell him where to hunt and where not to hunt. Maybe they didn't have his best interests at heart after all. Of course his kind tended to be made up of solitary creatures so they probably didn't much care what he did once he left their company anyway. He knew he had found a soft spot when he mentioned blood and saw the atuomatic reaction in Arlo's body and eyes. Yes, he was definitely undisciplined in hunger. He seemed too caught up on the blood of vampires though and that just wouldn't do.

He scowled when Arlo said that he was feeding from vampires because they were already dead. He didn't have to worry about killing them. He smirked, one brow quirking.

"An impulsive unsupervised thief that's going to get himself killed. You don't want to kill? Fine. Then learn how not to kill. Why go on this way without forcing yourself to learn discipline so the hunger doesn't control you?"

He couldn't understand someone okay with living this way, with being a slave to their own urges. He was always a man of control in all things and never would he be controlled by anything but his own inhibitions. If he kept going on this way he would get himself killed by other vampires. He wouldn't even have to worry about the hunters because he would be tortured and killed before they would ever even get wind of him. Sure, he could stay under the hunters' radar but this was no way to stay under a vampire's radar. They could band together and hunt him down faster than any hunter and they wouldn't just kill him. No, they'd make him beg for mercy and probably wouldn't even give him death then. At least hunters usually had some kind of morals. Most vampires don't and he's treading a very dangerous line. If he learned how to hunt humans without killing them he wouldn't have to worry about hunters. All he had to do is learn how not to get caught.

His smirk only grew when Arlo called him a jerk. Like he hasn't been called that before and worse.

"Then you're a poor survivor to have not sought someone else out. You won't survive long like this. Not preying on vampire owned businesses and covens. You'll be snuffed out before your next mortal birthday. I may be a jerk but at least I'm an honest jerk."

He didn't know anything about Arlo's powers but he knew that he wouldn't dare let the other vampire close enough to even try biting him. He'd have him thrown against a wall or pinned to the ground by his throat before he could even make a move. If there was anything Damon was quick at, it was fighting reflexes. After all, it's all he'd ever done most of his mortal and immortal life. He laughed when Arlo asked him to shut up. He shook his head.

"I don't think that would help at all. Tuning it out won't make this all go away."

He stepped forward and he could sense the shift in Arlo's hunger, pushing him to the point to see just how much he could take. Arlo's hand reached out but he barely batted an eye at it. He searched for Arlo's gaze and once he had it, he locked on, his power of manipulation coming into play immediately. He could feel Arlo's hesitation when he told him to hold out his hand, his lip quirking at that stubborn streak so strong in the younger vampire. He reminded him a little of himself. Everything but the damn humanity, that is. Even so, he won out in the battle of wills, Arlo finally holding out his hand. Damon shook it firmly then released his hand back to him, watching the confusion play out across the other vampire's features with a hint of amusement in his steel blue eyes. He turned toward his car, not even bothering to look back because he somehow knew that Arlo would be following.

"I've already offered you your greatest weakness, more blood. What more should I offer?"

He raised a brow but didn't look back, making his way down the alley toward the beautiful 1967 Mustang gifted to him by his beautiful fiance a few years back. He had fully restored the antique muscle car back to its prime with all original parts that had to be shipped overseas for that exact year and body. He wanted it to look like the dream she and her brother had seen in it before she had stored it away after her brother's death. Now, it was truly his favorite vehicle and he went out of his way to keep it in perfect condition. He loved seeing its shiny coat of black paint glossy in the moonlight as they made their way toward it. His lip quirked again when Arlo said that he would be disappointed if he was all talk so Damon reached out his hand and twisted his wrist just so toward the car, using his manipulation of energy to push just enough into the vehicle to spark the engine and make it start. The car roared to life, the engine purring like a content kitten as he moved to the driver's door.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, Arlo. I'll make tonight a night to remember, you can be sure of that."